Two Cal State Fullerton students contract chickenpox

Two cases of chickenpox have broken out on campus, according to an email sent out to students by the Dean of Students Office Wednesday.

The two students were diagnosed last Thursday at the Student Health and Counseling Center and have been instructed to stay home until they are no longer contagious.

“All students and faculty in classes the (infected) students attended on Aug. 30, 2017 and Aug. 31, 2017 have received a separate email,” the office email read.

The Interim Director of Health Services for the Student Health and Counseling Center was not available for comment.

Chickenpox is usually contracted through direct contact with someone infected but can also be transmitted through the air if someone infected coughs or sneezes.

Contact with someone who has chickenpox “will almost always lead to infection,” according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

The Centers for Disease Control does not have extensive information, but recorded 33 outbreaks in 2012 through “passive surveillance” in only six states. More recent information is not available.

The typical symptom of chickenpox is itchy blisters that develop into a rash, according to the CDC. Others may include fatigue, fever, headache and loss of appetite.

People can prevent contracting chickenpox by getting two doses of the varicella vaccine. CSUF’s Student Health and Counseling Center does not offer the vaccination so students will have to see a personal health care provider.

Contraction may also be prevented by a vaccination within five days after exposure.

Chickenpox can be treated at home with itch-relieving oatmeal baths. The CDC recommends people
seek help from providers if they have more severe symptoms like severe fever, a rash that leaks pus, bleeds or bruises, difficulty breathing or frequent vomiting. Serious cases may be prescribed antiviral medication.

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